Madhu Knits and Cooks

Instant Pot Indian-Spiced Cauliflower Two Ways - Winning Technique

Thanks to the Ministry of Curry Instant Pot cookbook, I discovered a new way to prepare cauliflower with the Instant Pot.  And no, the result isn't an over processed cauliflower mash, but rather nicely just-tender florets.  

The secret?  One minute of high pressure followed by a quick release and removing the cauliflower (1/2 head, cut into 2-inch florets) from the Pot.  Voila!  That's it!

Yes, I could talk about the recipes I used to prepared the above served dishes, but neither was fabulous.  The first was Julie Sahni's Gohbi Sabzi, which similar to many of the Classic Indian Cooking recipes I have tried was quite bland.  The second was the Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook Curried Cauliflower with Peas, which was a bit over spiced from the coriander (1 tbsp in recipe, which I reduced to 1 tsp, but was still too much), garam masala, and tomato that didn't quite land.  But the technique is one I will use to find a quick prep cauliflower to my liking!

Lisa Fain / The Homesick Texan's Salsa Tatemado - Mild, Smokey Tomato Salsa

With Cinco de Mayo fast approaching, I decided that I wanted to up my salsa game and turned to the excellent Homesick Texan for advice.  I settled on Lisa Fain's salsa tatemada recipe because it seemed sufficiently different from other salsas that I've made.

The salsa ended up being quite easy to prepare, even with my substitution of tomatoes on the vine for plum tomatoes and my use of a foil-lined quarter baking sheet instead of a skillet.  You basically roast the heck out of the ingredients before blending the ingredients with salt and water.

The result was smokey, mildly spicy, and had an unexpected herbiness from the fresh cilantro blended into the salsa.  I added extra salt to to get more of the ingredients' flavor to come out, and moving forward I will likely play with the cilantro ratio.  There was something  unpleasant I found about the fresh cilantro blended in with the roasted ingredients, even though I otherwise like cilantro. 

Regardless, this will likely be a recipe repeat this summer!

Incredibly Fast Hot & Sour Napa Cabbage

With some withering napa cabbage in the fridge, what to do?  Put it in the wok!  

But for my first carbon steel wok experience, an important lesson was learned - wok cooking is very fast!  I learned this through overcooking the cabbage, which meant cooking it for 6 minutes instead of 4, which the Cook's Illustrated recipe I used recommended.  I also didn't adjust the sauce ratio for the smaller amount of napa cabbage that I used, so the result was not only overcooked, but also a little watery.

Despite those issues, the cabbage still had a wonderful flavor - tangy and slightly spicy.  I will make this recipe again, but with everything prepped well prior to flash cook the cabbage.

Rancho Gordo's Lentil and Carrot Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette - A New Lunchtime Staple

When I ordered my first supply of Rancho Gordo beans, I signed up for their email list which includes periodic bean recipes.  If the first recipe is an indication of how good their recipes are, consider me a fan! 

Their lentil and carrot salad with mustard vinaigrette was delicious - the lentils (earthy), parsley (herby), carrot (sweet), and mustard vinaigrette (tart) all individually and collectively shined in this simple salad that can last for days.  I can see myself making this not only for lunches, but also for summertime gatherings as a healthy side.

The modifications I made included:

• Used 1/2 cup dried lentils, cooked for 7 minutes high pressure in the Instant Pot (natural release)
• I didn't measure the vinaigrette ingredients apart from the mustard, and I used approx. 2/3 of the vinaigrette (leftovers in a conventional lettuce salad later in the week)
• Used 5 small carrots

Jessica Murnane's Delicious Za'atar Sweet Potatoes and Kale

Sumac has made a comeback in my kitchen.  After not touching it for five years, I've used it twice in the past two months.  Today's version is thanks to a delicious sweet potato and kale recipe via Epicurious and cookbook author Jessica Murnane.  

I simplified the recipe by following some of the commenter's approach of just roasting the 1/2-inch sweet potato chunks for 25 minutes (stirring once at the 15-minute mark) instead of parboiling then roasting the potatoes.  I also inadvertently simplified the recipe by not tossing the potatoes in za'atar before adding to the kale, rather just added the za'atar at the end to both the cooked kale and sweet potato.  

Key tips - don't skip on the za'atar.  It really makes this deliciously tart, spiced, and earthy meal come alive.  I also didn't mix the olive oil in the za'atar to store the leftover za'atar (excellent on popcorn!) for longer.  I will definitely make this again as a healthy and hearty side dish or lunch in the future.

Vegan Pho - Surprisingly Easy and Delicious Complete Meal

We ordered our first pho delivery of the pandemic several weeks ago, which reignited my desire to make vegan pho at home.  I've been quietly planning for this moment for years, with star anise in the pantry and dried rice noodles at the ready.  But whenever I've thought about actually making vegan pho, I've rejected what I thought would be a too-consuming effort to produce a quality meal.

Of course, the punch line is that making top-quality vegan pho at home couldn't be easier.  You don't need to simmer the broth for too long (30 minutes before adding the vegetables and noodles) thanks to charring ginger and onion in broiler beforehand to achieve deep flavor.

The final broth is umami-rich and deeply sweetly spiced, with almost caramel notes, and contrasts nicely with the fresh cilantro, scallions, and chile.  Thanks to two online recipes - Gimme Some Oven and Cookies and Kate - for providing basic guidance and inspiration for my personalized, mushroom-free approach.

Ingredients

(2-3 main course servings)

• 1/2 red onion, halved
• 1.5 inch piece of ginger, cut into 3-4 large chunks
• 1 star anise
• 2 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp. Better than Bouillon No Chicken Base
• 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
• Splash of rice vinegar
• ~8-10 Baby bok choy, cleaned and halved, or greens desired
• 1/2 package dried rice noodles, prepared via package directions (I soaked in hot water for 30 minutes while the soup broth simmered)
• Diced scallions, cilantro, green chile, or other toppings (e.g., Thai basil, sprouts) to taste
• Lime wedges for serving

Directions

• Pre-heat broiler on high, and place halved red onion and ginger on baking sheet.  Broil on high for 8 minutes approx. 4 inches from broiler, turning once halfway
• In a soup pot or dutch oven, dry toast the star anise, cloves and cinnamon for 3 minutes on medium-high heat or until fragrant
• Add 6 cupes water, charred onion and ginger, Better than Bouillon, and tamari, and bring to a boil
• Reduce heat to medium and simmer broth for 30 minutes
• Remove the spices, ginger, and onions from the broth, and add a splash of rice vinegar and the halved baby bok choy.  Cook for 3 minutes, then add noodles for another 2 - 4 minutes.
• Served immediately with scallions, cilantro, chile, and lime wedges

Updated Favorite Homemade Vegetable Noodle Soup - with Potatoes and Kale

With some leftover potatoes and kale in the fridge, I decided to do the easiest thing I could think of - throw them in a soup!  

I used my favorite vegetarian noodle soup recipe, and added the cubed potatoes in for 9 minutes to fully cook while the ripped kale only took a few minutes.  Both were fantastic additions to the soup, with the kale in particular really adding to satisfying meal.  Look forward to adding these again to my future soups!

Creamy Spiced Cranberry Beans - Great Hands-Off Meal Side or Taco Filling

After my last cranberry bean debacle, I set out to make a better version of these well-loved beans.  I started with ATK's Cranberry Beans with Tequila, Green Chiles, and Pepitas recipe, though I made some simplifications along the way.  

First, I halved the recipe.  Second, I omitted the sour cream, pepitas, and pickled shallots topping.  Third, I cooked the beans for about 50-60 minutes, which while less than the 75 minutes called for in the recipe, was still a little too long for the halved beans.  So maybe 40 - 45 minutes is better moving forward?  

The result though was fantastic - extra creamy beans, lightly spiced, and a great filling for tacos.  These would also be a great side to any meal.  I look forward to making these largely hands-off beans again and again.

(doesn't look good, but tastes great!)

Unique Whole Baked Cauliflower that Tastes Like Falafel

Whole baked cauliflowers - they are a thing!  This next attempt from Milk Street, the Cauliflower with Spiced Tahini and Garlic-Chili Oil, definitely was the opposite of the lightly flavored Miznon whole cauliflower.  This cauliflower burst with strong dried spice (cumin, cinnamon, sumac, cardamon) flavors, bright parsley, and an olive oil / tomato glaze of sorts.  And I omitted the pine nuts, which probably would have added another strong flavor!

In all, my husband said this cauliflower almost tasted like falafel, which seems fairly accurate with the deep, dried Middle Eastern spice flavor.  I would make this again for a crowd, but would need to pair it with carefully picked sides as this definitely is a distinct flavor explosion.  

Cooking note:  The cauliflower was 1.6 pounds and I cooked it for 40 minutes in a more tight foil wrap, and it baked up fine!

Miznon's Whole Cauliflower - Easier than Expected Cauliflower Treat!

A few months ago, my friends Jenny and Dave made the famed Miznon whole roasted cauliflower at home and raved about the results.  One of my biggest pandemic regrets is that I kept pushing off our trip to the NYC Miznon location (last reservation I made and cancelled was for March 13, 2020), so I have yet to try this cauliflower sensation (let alone their other delish vegetarian options!).

Hearing that I could try this dish at home - and that it wasn't difficult - inspired me to look for smaller cauliflower heads that may work with their recipe.  Unfortunately though, our grocery store generally seems to have gigantic cauliflower heads so months passed before I found what seemed to be a sufficiently manageable cauliflower size.

While it took me awhile to figure out the logistics of how to boil the cauliflower (watching the Food & Wine video would have helped!), I ended up using a colander instead of a ceramic plate to keep the cauliflower submerged.  I also substituted kosher salt for the sel gris to fit what I had on hand.

After draining and baking the cauliflower, it wasn't as browned as I liked so I turned on the broiler for 2 minutes which some other websites recommended.  That worked great to get the dark browning throughout the cauliflower head and also made up for my not-quite-even cauliflower base, which meant the cauliflower fell over during baking instead of remaining head up.

While I served the cauliflower with tahini, we didn't quite like the combination (might have also been that our tahini isn't the highest quality) so I may make another sauce for this in the future.  I otherwise though loved this well-salted, soft, and lightly oiled cauliflower.  I look forward to making it again as a great side or meal centerpiece.